Abstract
2-Bromopropane (2-BP), an alternative to ozone-depleting solvents, is used as a cleaning solvent. Here, we examined the cytotoxic effects of 2-bromopropane (2-BP) on mouse embryos at the blastocyst stage, subsequent embryonic attachment and outgrowth in vitro, and in vivo implantation via embryo transfer. Mouse blastocysts were incubated in medium with or without 2-BP (2.5, 5 or 10 μM) for 24 h. Cell proliferation and growth were investigated with dual differential staining, apoptosis was analyzed by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) analysis, and implantation and post-implantation development of embryos were assessed using in vitro development analysis and in vivo embryo transfer, respectively. Blastocysts treated with 5 or 10 μM 2-BP displayed significantly increased apoptosis, and decreased inner cell mass (ICM) and trophectoderm (TE) cell number. Additionally, the implantation success rates of 2-BP-pretreated blastocysts were lower than those of untreated controls. In vitro treatment with 5 or 10 μM 2-BP was associated with increased resorption of postimplantation embryos, and decreased placental and fetal weights. Our results collectively indicate that in vitro exposure to 2-BP induces apoptosis, suppresses implantation rates after transfer to host mice, and retards early postimplantation development.
Highlights
2-Bromopropane (2-BP), an alternative to ozone-depleting solvents, is used as a cleaning solvent
We recently showed that some natural chemical compounds and mycotoxin induce cellular apoptosis and cytotoxicity in mouse blastocysts [20,23,24,25,26,27,28]
We observed a concentration-dependent increase in apoptosis in blastocysts treated with 2-BP (5 and 10 μM) (Figure 1A)
Summary
2-Bromopropane (2-BP) is used as a cleaning solvent and as an alternative to ozone-depleting solvents. A reproductive toxicity investigation further demonstrated that exposure to 2-BP induced testicular or ovarian dysfunction, causing injury to early types of spermatogenic cells or primordial follicles and oocytes of rats [4,6]. Experiments investigating the effects of 2-BP on pre- and postnatal development showed that exposure of pregnant or lactating female rats to 2-BP resulted in delivery rate decrease, peri- and postnatal death increase, loss of body weight development, and increased incidence of reproductive organ dysfunction [13]. We recently showed that some natural chemical compounds and mycotoxin induce cellular apoptosis and cytotoxicity in mouse blastocysts [20,23,24,25,26,27,28]. We monitored subsequent developmental injury of blastocysts in vitro and following implantation in vivo via embryo transfer
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